


Schemes of Love

by Okami01



Series: Hilclaude week 2020 [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crushes, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Pining, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24688549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01
Summary: Hilda and Claude decide that if you can't stop rumours, you should join them and give them something to gossip about.
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Claude von Riegan
Series: Hilclaude week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778047
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19
Collections: Hilclaude Week 2020





	Schemes of Love

Plenty of people did strange things at Garrag Mach. It was a time for them to learn, and also just as much, have fun. Everyone went to school for different reasons. Everyone had a different past and different goals. Claude knew what he had to do. That Garreg Mach wasn't going to be the same for him as it was for everyone else.  
Sooner or later, the rumors had started.   
Claude was used to it. He looked different, had expectations placed on him from just about everything. He had goals and dreams of his own, of course. Things that bothered him.

Claude was used to it. He didn't like it. But he knew how to deal with it. It was better that people underestimate him now anyway. At the very least they didn't need to know who he really was.

Claude was used to fighting and learning, scheming, and improvising. 

While Garrag Mach had its issues, it also had Hilda Valentine Goneril  
Someone else that people gossiped up. 

And Claude being who he was, he needed to find information out about her. She seemed to aspire to be someone who people didn't count on, who was beautiful but didn't do much unless she had to. People said she was lazy, didn't like to do anything. Happiest when she could simply laze around or ask other people to do things for her.

Claude liked to win. He liked to know things. And despite what Hilda said about herself there was no doubt that she was strong. She could fight if she needed too.  
Talented. Easy to get along with. 

And as the Golden Deer made their way through the semester, he grew closer to Hilda.

She was fun to be around. And at first, he'd tried to tell himself that he didn't need to grow to close with anyone. At least right now. Or with her. He thought about it practically. Goneril territory was close to Riegan territory. The Gonerils also fought Almyrans on a regular basis. A not so fun fact to know. 

Still, somehow, before he knew it, they were friends.

-  
Hilda was in his dorm room, eating cookies and poorly attempting to study for a quiz.

" You know some people think we're dating…. I wouldn't put to much stock in any rumors. Still… it might be fun."  
She smiles and stretches her back. Smiles at him with her energetic, "I'm probably up to something smile."

" You sound disappointed…" Claude laughs. 

" Well, I figured if you can't beat them… join them, you know?"

Claude arches his eyebrow. He doesn't know what he was expecting to happen, but it wasn't this. Usually, he had people figured out more or less.

Hilda looked away from her book smiling. 

Usually, Claude didn't lose his composure like this. Though he doesn't think he has quite yet. When Hilda smiles at him like that he isn't sure that he can. 

" You do come over here a lot. We do hang out together a lot." He smiles. " When I told you that I wanted you to meet my parents I was really joking."

Hilda fidgets with her skirt. " Yeah," she laughs. " I know, I know. Sometimes I wonder if their's some truth to it all… I mean sure, sometimes people say things without any reason…"

" Well… it's not an impossible situation," Claude laughs, even though at this point he's just trying to breathe. 

" For us to do that…"

" Ahh, I'm not saying we should get married… or anything. Just that if we got together and then broke up, it might dispel some things." She smiles and nods. 

" Maybe. Don't you think it might cause even more rumors?"

" Hmm, don't you wanna mess with people though?"

He does. " I do," he manages to say. But he can't help but think has about the fact that he does like Hilda. And that she just said she liked him. 

People were always going to talk about him and he's made his peace with it really. Somehow, seeing Hilda smile and wanting to help make things better. 

Hilda just inadvertently told him she had a crush on him. So what was stopping him from returning that crush? Cowardice probably. Not that he'd ever cared before. Better to run away and deal with the problem later with fresh eyes. 

Hilda wasn't a problem though.   
__

She was someone he'd come to rely on, even though when he'd first come to Garreg Mach he'd never thought he'd meet someone like that here.   
He's not someone to base his opinions solely on people's appearances. That's what so many people did to him. Still do. 

Hilda rides around on a wyvern now. She's fierce with an axe when she wants to be. 

___

They dance together. He doesn't know ballroom dancing very well but dancing with her is exciting no matter what. They're around each other all the time, rumors growing wildly now. 

Claude doesn't know how long he can keep pretending. He thinks one day maybe he'll be able to stop. That one day his dreams will be real.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Happy Hiclaude week! Writers block really got to me but I'm going to write a sequel when it goes away. 
> 
> @Tavitay on Twitter


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